RASIC

Description

RASIC, sometimes written as RASCI or RACI, is a project man-

agement tool used to clarify roles and responsibilities within a
project or process. The acronym stands for Responsible, Ac-
countable, Consulted. Let's review each role in detail:
• R - Responsible: The person who is responsible for per-
forming the task or activity, takes ownership and ensures
that the work is completed.
• A - Accountable: The person who is ultimately accountable
for the task's success or failure. This individual has the au-
thority to make decisions and is liable for the overall out-
come. There should be only one "A" assigned to each task.
• S - Supporting: The person who provides resources, assis-
tance, or expertise, contributing to the successful comple-
tion of the project.
• I - Informed: Individuals who need to be kept informed about
the project's progress but are not directly involved in its ex-
ecution. They receive updates and information about the
project via one-way communication.
• C - Consulted: Individuals or groups who provide input or
expertise during the task or decision-making process. They
are consulted for their knowledge, and their opinions are
considered before a decision is made. Communication is
two-way.
Using RASIC helps prevent confusion, ensures that all necessary
stakeholders are involved appropriately, and provides clarity on
who is doing what within the project. It is a valuable communica-
tion and accountability tool in project management.

Purpose
RASIC is a valuable tool for project managers and teams to struc-
ture their work, enhance collaboration, and ensure that everyone
is on the same page regarding their roles and responsibilities
within a project or process. The key purposes of RASIC include:
• Role Definition: Clearly define and communicate roles of in-
dividuals or teams involved in a project or process. This re-
duces ambiguity and prevents misunderstandings about
who is responsible for what.
• Accountability Assignment: Assign accountability for the
overall success or failure of a task or activity to a single in-
dividual (Accountable). This ensures that there is a clear de-
cision-maker and point of authority.
• Avoid Duplication: Prevent duplication of efforts by identify-
ing and clarifying the specific contributions of each role.
This helps in streamlining workflows and optimizing re-
source utilization.
• Communication Enhancement: Provide necessary inputs for
the communication plan. This ensures that the right stake-
holders are involved at the right time.
• Team Alignment: Provide a visual representation of each
stakeholder's role. This helps build a cohesive team dy-
namic and encourages collaboration.
• Risk Mitigation: Identify potential gaps or areas of risk in
terms of roles and responsibilities.
• Project Planning and Execution: Ensure that all necessary
tasks are assigned, and the responsible parties are aware of
their responsibilities.
• Efficiency and Productivity: Improve overall efficiency and
productivity by streamlining workflows and reducing confu-
sion about who should be doing what.

When to Use

1
Project Managers typically use RASIC at various stages of the
project lifecycle to enhance communication, coordination, and
accountability:
• Discover Stage: During the initial planning phase, RASIC is
used to define roles and responsibilities for each task or ac-
tivity in the project plan.
• Define Stage: Introduce the RASIC during project kickoff
meetings. This helps align the team, clarify expectations,
and establish a foundation for effective collaboration.
• Design Stage: When mapping out project processes or
workflows, RASIC is used to identify key roles at each step.
This ensures that there is clarity on who performs the tasks,
who makes decisions, who provides input, and who needs
to be informed.
• Deliver Stage: RASIC is used to reinforce roles and respon-
sibilities. This includes regular check-ins to ensure that
team members are fulfilling their assigned roles and are
aware of changes in responsibilities.
• Change Management: Revisit the RASIC to assess the im-
pact of the changes on roles and responsibilities.
• Issue Resolution: RASIC is used to identify the roles of indi-
viduals involved in addressing and resolving specific is-
sues. This ensures a targeted and coordinated approach to
problem resolution.
• Risk Management: Use RASIC to assign responsibilities for
risk identification, assessment, mitigation, and monitoring.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: In projects involving multi-
ple cross-functional teams, RASIC is used to facilitate col-
laboration by clearly defining the contributions and respon-
sibilities of each team or department.
• Closeout and Lessons Learned: RASIC is used to conduct a
lessons learned session. This involves reviewing the effec-
tiveness of roles and responsibilities, identifying areas for
improvement, and documenting insights for future projects.

2
Defined Outcomes
• RASIC matrix for all key activities/deliverables reviewed and
approved by all relevant parties
• Clearly defined and documented roles and responsibilities
• Designated accountability assigned
• Duplication of efforts avoided
• Enhanced communication
• Streamlined workflows
• Optimized resource utilization
• Improved Decision-Making process
• Risks associated with potential gaps in terms roles and re-
sponsibilities mitigated
• Improved Project Monitoring and Control
• Alignment with project goals achieved

How to perform
Creating a RASIC involves several key steps to ensure that roles
and responsibilities are clearly defined for each task or activity
within the project:
• Identify deliverable or process that needs ownership
• Identify key tasks and activities
• Define key roles
• Assign responsible (R) - determine who will be responsible
for executing each task/activity
• Assign responsible (A) - designate who will accountable for
the success of each task/activity
• Assign responsible (S) - determine who will provide re-
sources, assistance, or expertise, contributing to the suc-
cessful completion of each task/activity
• Assign responsible (I) - determine who needs to be informed
about the progress or completion of each task/activity
• Assign responsible (C) - identify individuals or team that
need to be consulted for input during the task/activity
• Document RASIC matrix
• Review and refine

3
 • Ask for feedback
• Finalize RASIC matrix
• Communicate roles and responsibilities
• Integrate with project documentation
• Update and improve as needed

Rules
and Best Practices

I. Rasic rules
● Only one person Accountable and Responsible per line. If there is a likelihood of multiple
persons responsible, consider breaking down the activity into smaller activities until sin-
gle Responsible person can be assigned.
● R’s and A’s on the left side of matrix. This improves clarity of the table
● If there is a role with no Rs or As, reconsider if role is needed
● Ideally there should be only one A and R per Role, but there is tolerance to have the
same person accountable and responsible for an activity. For eg, on a small project, a
business analyst may be accountable for QA but has to execute the tests cases as well
● There may be 0, 1, or more supporting team members for an item
● There may be 0, 1, or more informed team members for an item
● There may be 0, 1, or more consulted team members for an item.

4
 ● Ensure the number of consulted team members are manageable because this could
slow the completion of an activity
● Do not use individual names, use role names. For eg, instead of saying John Smith will
be accountable for solution architecture, say that the program architect will be account-
able for solution architecture
● While reviewing each role, review the assigned activities to ensure they are neither over
or under utilized

II. Best practices

● Involve Key Stakeholders: Collaborate with key stakeholders, team members, and sub-
ject matter experts when creating the RASIC matrix. Their input is crucial for accurate
role assignments.
● Start Early in the Project: Begin creating the RASIC matrix early in the project lifecycle.
This helps set expectations from the beginning and ensures that everyone is on the
same page.
● Use a Consistent Format: Adopt a consistent format for the RASIC matrix to enhance
readability and understanding.
● Keep it Simple: Keep the RASIC matrix simple and focused, with a clear representation
of roles and responsibilities for each task.
● Limit the Number of Roles: Limit the number of roles assigned to each task to maintain
clarity.
● Assign One "A" for Each Task: Assign only one person as accountable (A) for each task
to ensure clear decision-making authority and avoid confusion.
● Document Assumptions: Clearly document any assumptions made during the RASIC
creation process. This provides context and helps address any uncertainties that may
arise.
● Ensure Roles Are Actionable: Provide a clear definition of what is expected from each
role.
● Regularly Update the Matrix: Changes in project scope, team composition, or other fac-
tors may require adjustments to roles and responsibilities